Singleton is a big threat to British champion Skeete

Shayne Singleton believes that careless whispers have made him an even bigger threat to Bradley Skeete’s reign on the British throne.

The owner of the Lonsdale Belt at welterweight will make the second defence of his title against the Pendle pugilist at the Copper Box Arena in London on May 6th, even though promoter Frank Warren already appears to be looking beyond that.

The pair have already been talking about future fights with Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao on their BoxNation platform, with rumours surfacing that the plan is to see how the WBA World champion fares against WBC holder Danny Garcia in their title-unifying match-up in March.

They’re also believed to have one eye on the outcome of the Philippino supremo’s bout with Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia, in March.

Only Tim Bradley, Horn, Jesse Vargas and Errol Spence stand between champion Pacquiao and Skeete in the WBO’s ranking system.

“I’ve nothing to lose; I’m going in there with everything to gain,” he said. “I’m not the British champion yet and I don’t have an unbeaten record to preserve.

“If he thinks that he’s in for an easy night and he’s slacking then he’s going to come a cropper.

“The fact that I have nothing to lose makes me an even more dangerous fighter because the pressure is on him.

“He’s the one with the title and fighting on his home turf. He’s the one that they are building up.”

Singleton added: “I read a press release that Frank Warren had been speaking to the WBA about the possibility of a contest between Skeete and Keith Thurman. There’s also been talk of Pacquiao with Skeete ranked fifth with the WBO.

“If I go in there and beat Skeete how can I go and start talking about the likes of Thurman and Manny Pacquiao? It’s bonkers to think like that but it’s technically what they’re doing.

“If they’re linking Skeete with fighters like that then surely it propels me in to that position if I beat him.

“I’ve got to be realistic but the fact that they are talking about this almost directly brings me in to the equation.

“Surely that opportunity will be there for me if I beat Skeete? It’s mental but that’s the picture they are painting.”

Singleton, though, has coach Karl Ince to keep him in check and he accepts that nothing is more important than the job in hand.

The 27-year-old has been in camp in Tenerife, training alongside twins Ryan and Liam Walsh at Povedano Boxeo and pounding the terrain on Mount Teide.

“Whatever is on the line this is massive and I’m treating it like a world title fight,” he said. “It sounds like they’ve got serious plans for Skeete but they’ve got me to deal with first.

“I’m not going to roll over. I’m there to win, take him out and change my life. I would love to win a British title.

“I know this will be the hardest fight of my career but I’m confident that I’ll find what it takes to beat him. I’ll get the job done like I did against Curtis Woodhouse.”

Shayne would like to thank Ross’s Roofing, Bounce Back Safety Surfaces, AJ Wood Ltd, Fitness Evolution, Salvador Health and Wellocks for their ongoing sponsorship and support.

Anybody wanting to enquire about tickets can contact Shayne via Facebook or Twitter.